Research suggests that international expatriation is still increasing, as it constitutes a vital part of an organisation’s future synergy. However, certain aspects of expatriation have changed in recent years and these changes have direct implications on a company’s relocation policy and the cross-cultural training they offer to their expatriates.

In this article we will take a look at one of these changes, which concerns the expatriation population or rather the trailing spouse population.

Although women are still often overlooked when companies decide to send employees abroad, the number of female expatriates is on the rise and research suggests that around 20% of expatriate employees are now female. This in return has an effect on the trailing spouse population – more men are now trailing partners often having to give up their jobs to become “supporting partners”.

One may assume that the challenges a trailing partner faces when relocating to another country are the same regardless of their gender. However, the little research, which does exist on trailing men, suggests that although there are similarities, there are also considerable differences between female and male trailing spouses and the issues they have to deal with. We will now explore these main differences:

1. Lack of support groups

One of the issues both male and female trailing spouses face, is the feeling of loneliness and isolation, which set in after friends, family and colleagues are left behind. Spousal support groups, which are mainly house-wife/mother oriented often ease the feeling of loneliness for female trailing spouses, but rarely offer the same kind of social support for male trailing partners. Although these support groups usually welcome men, the lack of common interests often excludes male trailing partners automatically.
STUDS (Spouses Trailing Under Duress Successfully) – a support group run by expat trailing males based in Brussels is the only of its kind in continental Europe.

2. The non-traditional nature of the male trailing spouse role

The lack of support groups for male trailing spouses indicates that the role of “supporting partner” is rather new to many men as it is traditionally ascribed to women. Although somewhat archaic, the idea of occupying the role of breadwinner is still deeply imbedded in many men. Being suddenly put in the role of househusband/ stay at home dad and relying on their partner’s income is often a blow to a man’s ego and self-esteem, which in return can put a strain on their relationship.

The surroundings of the trailing man may also be less accepting of a househusband/ stay at home dad. Some cultures are less familiar with the concept of working women and househusbands and their reactions to this may enhance the trailing man’s feeling of having lost purpose and value by not being the main breadwinner or ‘lead expatriate’.

The expatriate community may also demoralise the trailing man. Most of the expatriate community will still reflect the traditional pattern – working man and trailing female. The reactions to a trailing man who doesn’t work may include everything from surprise, approval, disapproval or even derision. Establishing relationships with the other expat men, who will most likely be working, may become rather hard for the trailing man, as in the case of the support groups, there may be a lack of common ground.

The research which has been conducted on trailing spouses, has highlighted that the spousal support policies of most companies are geared mainly towards women with children – every spouse who fails to fit into this category is not catered for, this including trailing male spouses.

Relocating to another country is challenging for everyone involved. Therefore it is essential for organisations to adapt their relocation policies to the changing face of expatriation to include non-traditional expats and spouses to ensure that their process of adapting to their new culture as well as their new roles runs as smoothly as possible. As all the available research has clearly demonstrated, the unhappiness of accompanying spouses - whether traditional or non-traditional - (along with the issues around children abroad) is probably the single most important reason for an unsuccessful international assignment.

Website of the months: STUDS (Spouses Trailing Under Duress Successfully) Or www.thetrailingspouse.com

Recommend book of the month: A career in your suitcase by Jo Parfitt with Galen Tinder A Career In Your Suitcase 2 is an empowering and inspiring guide to help anyone, anywhere, find work they love and turn it into a successful, portable career.

To get in touch with Rosie Mimler email her on: RosieMimler@Global-Excellence.com

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